Mind-Blowing Dinosaur Facts You Didn't Know

ByAgkidzone Staff

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

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Dinosaurs are extraordinary because everything we know about them comes from studying their fossils. Given the limited information, it's amazing how much scientists have discovered. Paleontologists have pieced together details like when different dinosaurs lived, what they ate, and even how they raised their young—all from fossils. What's even more incredible is that as new fossils are found, what you learned as a kid might be completely different from today's science.

Some Were Smart

Dinosaurs often get labeled as not very bright, but that's not entirely fair. Just like modern animals, some species were smarter than others. For instance, the Troodon was a meat-eating dinosaur whose intelligence could be compared to that of many mammals. It could perceive objects in three dimensions and used its hands much like raccoons do today.

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They Probably Didn't Roar

If you take your dinosaur knowledge from movies, you might picture fierce beasts that roar loudly. However, while some may have made loud noises, the Tyrannosaurus Rex—often shown as especially loud and aggressive—probably produced sounds closer to a growl. Scientists can estimate the noises animals made by studying their throat and nasal structures.

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They Were Everywhere

Scientists have found dinosaur fossils on every continent, including Antarctica. It might sound far-fetched to imagine dinosaurs in such a cold place, but with about 700 known species, they were spread out all over the place. Besides, Antarctica wasn't always frozen solid. After it split from Africa, it started to cool down—first becoming an icy forest before turning into the frozen desert we know today.

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Dinosaurs Lived Through Several Periods

Dinosaurs didn't just exist during one time frame. They first appeared in the Triassic Period, then thrived in the Jurassic Period, and continued into the Cretaceous Period. This means that many dinosaurs we think of weren't alive at the same time. So, imagining a Stegosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus Rex hanging out together is barking up the wrong tree.

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Fossils Aren't Usually Actual Bones

When scientists discover a fossilized bone, they're actually finding a rock. Over time, minerals and pressure turn the original bone into stone, leaving no organic material behind. Some environments are better for fossil formation than others. If an animal's body is quickly buried by sediment, it gets protected from predators and the elements, allowing a fossil to form. Minerals replace the organic matter, creating a stone copy of the original bone.

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The Oldest Dinosaur Was Found in Scotland

Although dinosaurs lived all over and through many periods, the oldest known dinosaur is the Saltopus, which lived 245 million years ago. It walked on two legs with short forelimbs. Only one partial skeleton has been discovered so far. The Saltopus was a meat-eater, about 3 feet long, and weighed just over 2 pounds.

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The Most Ferocious Dinosaurs Get Little Press

When you think of a fierce dinosaur, the Tyrannosaurus Rex probably pops into your head. However, scientists believe that the Utahraptor might have been even more formidable. It was intelligent and cunning, measuring about 23 feet from head to tail. Living during the Early Cretaceous Period in North America, the Utahraptor walked on two legs and had retractable claws nearly 10 inches long.

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Dinosaurs Weren't the First Species on Earth

While dinosaurs often get credit for being the first big creatures, many reptiles existed before them. When dinosaurs first evolved, they didn't instantly dominate the scene. In fact, prehistoric crocodiles were among the most fearsome animals at the time. Dinosaurs had to wait their turn before they ruled the roost. It wasn't until the Jurassic Period that dinosaurs became the dominant species on the planet.

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Dinosaurs Are Split into Two Groups

Contrary to what you might think, scientists don't classify dinosaurs by what they ate. Instead, they're divided into bird-hipped (ornithischian) and lizard-hipped (saurischian) groups. Lizard-hipped dinosaurs could be herbivores or carnivores, while bird-hipped dinosaurs were all plant-eaters. Interestingly, modern birds evolved from lizard-hipped dinosaurs—not bird-hipped ones, which might throw you for a loop.

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Not All Dinosaurs Were Cold-Blooded

Because of their reptile-like looks, many people think dinosaurs were cold-blooded. However, there's evidence that some species, including certain meat-eaters and smaller herbivores, were warm-blooded. It's tough to imagine that the active lifestyles of some dinosaurs could be maintained with the slow metabolism of cold-blooded animals.

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The Heaviest Dinosaur Was the Argentinosaurus

Weighing as much as 17 African elephants, the Argentinosaurus was both the longest and heaviest dinosaur known. Not only did it outsize other dinosaurs, but it was also the heaviest land animal ever to exist. They lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, and despite their massive size, they were herbivores, feeding entirely on plants.

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What Actually Happened to the Dinosaurs?

Around 65 million years ago, the K-T event—or the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event—took place. It's believed that this caused a chain reaction leading to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. A massive meteor is thought to have struck the Yucatan Peninsula, triggering geological and climate changes that made survival impossible for many species.

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Megalosaurus Was the First Discovered

Megalosaurus wasn't the earliest dinosaur to exist nor the most famous, but it holds the title of being the first dinosaur discovered. Found in 1824 in southern England, its name means "great lizard." It was a meat-eater that walked on two legs and lived during the Middle Jurassic Period. Although it's the first discovered, no complete skeletons have been found.

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Quetzalcoatlus Was the Largest Flying Creature

With a wingspan of about 42 feet, Quetzalcoatlus was not only the largest pterosaur but also the largest flying animal ever known, weighing just over 200 pounds. While that seems heavy for something that flies, it's relatively light for its size. The term "pterosaur" means "winged lizard." Though not technically dinosaurs, pterosaurs were common during the Mesozoic Era.

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The Largest Water Creature

Elasmosaurus was the longest of the plesiosaurs, a group of marine reptiles. Plesiosaurs lived from the Late Triassic Period through the Jurassic Age but disappeared during the mass extinction that ended the era of dinosaurs. The Elasmosaurus was about 46 feet long, featuring an extremely long neck, four flippers, a small head, and a pointed tail. They ate small fish and aquatic invertebrates.

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